as an amateur photographer i have a habit of using automatic settings when taking shots and later editing to get a more desired effect. though the editing is very time consuming in general this has been a satisfactory approach. but i want to take it a step beyond to get better shots. so yesterday evening around sunset i was walking on Lillevik Beach where driftwood is plentiful, trying out the pro settings on my S22 phone. beginning with adjusting the speed and ISO. i took lots of shots that i was excited about but when viewing on my laptop screen at home i noticed the focus could have been improved on many. for now i am posting a dozen of the best ones but i will go back and work on manual focusing.
there is no road to the beach. you have to walk through the forest alive with newly sprouted leaves and rich with birdsong but also mosquitoes. the 500 meter long beach is aligned such that in the spring at the north end the sun sinks behind a hill while the south end gets at least half an hour longer sunlight. the sun sets very slowly and by the time it has disappeared on the south end the forest becomes quite dark
the abundant driftwood along the entire beach comes via Lågen river which empties into the Larviksfjord. here someone made a shelter which will likely be used as a bonfire on midsummer;s night in June
the northern part is sandy while the southern part is more muddy with grass and reeds growing along the shoreline
some of the larger logs are new while a few of the older drier ones have polypores and other fungi growing on them.
one of the newer ones has been partially burned before it ended up in the river and landed on the beach. while much of the log is totally charred one end has beautiful zebralike stripes making it look as if it had been intentionally flamed
